160. Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the deployment of IDA Ireland staff within County Waterford and the south east region; and the way in which this compares to its staffing complement in 2014. [41491/19]

The IDA's South-East Regional Office is based in the Waterford City area and consists of six staff. The Agency's team there - as well their staff in Dublin and overseas - are working hard to attract further investment to the region. Those efforts are producing results, as demonstrated last year when 982 net new jobs were created in IDA client companies in the area. This represented an increase of almost 7% on the equivalent numbers for 2017. I am confident that we can sustain that record of performance and create more foreign direct investment-driven jobs and opportunities in the South-East region in the time ahead.

The table below sets out the roles of the six staff currently located in the IDA's Waterford Office. I have been informed by the Agency that staffing numbers in that office are the same as they were in 2014.

Table: Staff in the IDA Ireland South-East Regional Office